thank you, I am so tired of hearing "3 times the cost of the materials." No one EVER suggests to a painter that he sell his painting for 3 times the cost of materials, or a woodworker, stained glass artist, or whatever.
If I get my materials on sale, and then cut them into tiny pieces and piece an intricate design, 3 times does not even come near what I am going to charge. Now if you want a quilt with just 12" squares, OK. Maybe.

(That's assuming you are referring to its cash value. My parents would definitely tell you the quilt I made for their fiftieth anniversary is priceless - but I doubt they would have paid me $20 per hour for the 200+ hours of hand quilting I put into it!)

One of my favorite stories is about my accountant who asked for a double wedding ring quilt. Now, this guy charges me a BUNCH of money for a twenty-minute job on my books every now and then: he very quickly changed his mind about wanting it when I told him what I would charge for a King-sized DWR...$1200...wanted to know if that wasn't a "little pricy"? and when I told him what the cost of just the fabric and batting was, he really had a fit. I more or less told him to take it or leave it...I couldn't make a profit doing it for any less...WHAT ARE THESE FOLKS THINKING??? And no, I didn't make it for him! He was too cheap to pay an honest price for it...

See!! He, the trained, experienced accountant, didn't consider YOU 'skilled' or trained. It annoys the socks off me and that's why I regularly show the "What a Quilt Really Costs" article to as many people as I can.
Send him a copy!!